Method and system for providing a wrap-around shield using a patterned seed layer

A method for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer having a main pole, a nonmagnetic gap covering the main pole, and a field region distal from the main pole, a portion of the nonmagnetic gap residing on the top of the main pole, the method comprising:

• blanket depositing a thin seed layer, the thin seed layer covering at least the nonmagnetic gap and being at least two nanometers and not more than twenty nanometers thick;
• providing a mask covering a portion of the magnetic transducer proximate to the main pole including a first portion of the thin seed layer, the mask exposing a second portion of the thin seed layer;
• depositing a thick seed layer on the second portion of the thin seed layer, the thick seed layer and the second portion of the thin seed layer having a thickness of at least twenty nanometers and residing distal from the main pole;
• removing the mask;
• providing a wrap-around shield, a third portion of the thin seed layer residing in proximity to and exposed by the wrap-around shield;
• field etching the field region distal from the wrap-around shield;
• precleaning the magnetic transducer, the third portion of the first seed layer being removed during the precleaning, the precleaning including at least one of sputter cleaning and ion milling;
• and
• providing an aluminum oxide layer after the magnetic transducer is precleaned.

A method for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer having a main pole, a nonmagnetic gap covering the main pole, and a field region distal from the main pole, a portion of the nonmagnetic gap residing on the top of the main pole, the method comprising:

• providing a mask covering a portion of the magnetic transducer between the main pole and the field region;
• depositing a thick seed layer having a thickness of at least twenty nanometers and not more than one hundred nanometers, a first portion of the thick seed layer covering the main pole, a second portion of the thick seed layer residing in the field region;
• removing the mask;
• depositing a thin seed layer being at least two and not more than twenty nanometers thick, the thin seed layer covering the first portion of the magnetic transducer and at least a portion of the thick seed layer;
• providing a wrap-around shield covering the first portion of the thick seed layer;
• field etching the field region distal from the wrap-around shield;
• precleaning the magnetic transducer, a portion of the thin seed layer exposed by the wrap-around shield being removed during the precleaning, the precleaning including at least one of sputter cleaning and ion milling;
• and
• providing an aluminum oxide layer after the magnetic transducer is precleaned.

A method for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer having a main pole, a nonmagnetic gap covering the main pole, and a field region distal from the main pole, a portion of the nonmagnetic gap residing on the top of the main pole, the method comprising:

• providing a mask covering a first portion of the magnetic transducer proximate to the main pole and exposing a second portion of the magnetic transducer distal from the main pole;
• blanket depositing a thick seed layer;
• removing the mask to expose the first portion of the magnetic transducer;
• blanket depositing a thin seed layer, the thin seed layer being at least two nanometers and not more than twenty nanometers thick, a first portion of the thin seed layer residing on the first portion of the magnetic transducer, a second portion of the seed layer residing on a remaining portion of the thick seed layer, the remaining portion of the thick seed layer and the second portion of the thin seed layer having a thickness of at least twenty nanometers and residing distal from the main pole;
• providing a wrap-around shield, a third portion of the thin seed layer residing in proximity to and exposed by the wrap-around shield;
• field etching the field region distal from the wrap-around shield;
• precleaning the magnetic transducer, the third portion of the first seed layer being removed during the precleaning, the precleaning including at least one of sputter cleaning and ion milling;
• and
• providing an aluminum oxide layer after the magnetic transducer is precleaned.